


Looking Cool, Fox

by auralikh



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Humor, M/M, Matchmaking, Modeling, Post-Canon, Yusuke finally has money but now Akira's broke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-05 10:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11576613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auralikh/pseuds/auralikh
Summary: Yusuke gets a part-time job as a model. The good thing is that he's a natural at it and finally has enough money to have a stable diet now. The bad thing is that Akira's going broke buying all of the posters and magazines with the artist's beautiful face in it.





	1. Binders Full of Yusuke

Yusuke starting a part-time modelling job might be the best and worst thing to happen in Akira’s life. The good thing is that he’s actually the perfect model, not only is he absolutely gorgeous but he’s a natural at posing, if it wasn’t obvious enough from the way he acted in battle. Not to mention the job is forcing him to take better care of himself, even if it might just be for the sake of appearance. Akira, Yusuke, and Ann had gone to get ice cream together shortly before one of Ann’s photoshoots when it happened. Everyone in the group already knew that Yusuke had the looks of the model, but nobody expected that Ann’s photographers would go absolutely nuts at the sight of this young man.

“Please consider the offer!” one of the photographers pleaded, “It’d be a waste for someone like you to not at least take a few photoshoots.”

“Our crew will be able to take care of all the equipment, clothing, and makeup for the job. Just give us a chance and we’re sure to make you a star!” The makeup artist shouted from behind, still working on the eyeshadow for one of the girls.

“I have no intention of ever posing in front of a camera,” Yusuke blankly refused, “Now if you’ll excuse me…”

Ann nudged Yusuke’s side, “Hey, think about it! When was the last time you got to eat something other than beansprouts?”

“We just got ice cream. Plus there was the okonomiyaki just the other day.” He raised his almost finished cone before taking another bite.

“The last time you got something other than beansprouts when you’re _alone_. Akira or Ryuji paying for your food doesn’t count.” Ann sighed.

“...Perhaps you have a point,” Yusuke rubbed his chin, “Still, it’s not as though I’m at a complete loss when it comes to getting money.”

Ann stared at him as if that was the biggest lie she’s ever heard. It’s probably pretty up there with Ryuji’s claim that they’re all intellectuals and Akechi lying about his identity, “Donating blood all the time isn’t healthy, I mean look how pale you are!” Ann looked over at Akira, “Don’t you agree?”

Akira blinked, having only kept one ear in the conversation. It was probably best to agree to whatever Ann was asking him, that’s what he always did, “Definitely. Ann’s right.”

“See? I know you’re really into art and all, but you need to take care of yourself first! You can’t paint if you just faint from anemia one day.”

“Hm, I will be in need of restocking supplies soon,” Yusuke paused, he seemed to have budged with their leader’s support, even though Akira barely knew what was going on at the moment. The artist turned to the photographers, “Very well. I’ll be willing to try a photoshoot. However, I won’t make any long-term promises.”

The long-haired photographer beamed, “Great! I’ll get the assistant manager, he’ll know where to get you started with all those logistics and whatnot.”

“Wow, I’ve never seen Wakanabe so excited,” Ann hummed, “He’s practically skipping down the street! I bet he’s already got like 10 different ideas for what to do with you. Hey, maybe we might end up working together!” She nudged Yusuke’s side again, this time playfully.

Akira smiled silently as the two went back and forth about how involved the artist should be in his new modelling job. But what this smiling Akira didn’t know was that almost a year later, he would be back in the attic of Leblanc, sweating profusely not just because of the sweltering summer heat, but also because he’s running out of space where he can keep all these posters and magazines safe and out of sight.

Also he’s going to need to pick up a part time job.

He sighed, it was absurd for him to have to pick up a job while visiting Tokyo once again and staying in Leblanc for summer vacation just because he wanted more merchandise of one of his friends. The fact that he already amassed basically everything that has emerged from Yusuke’s fledgling, part-time modelling job was absurd (and possibly creepy) enough. Who knows how any of the others would react if they saw even a fraction of Akira’s collection. Who knows how _Yusuke_ would react if he saw any of this.

The thought of it made Akira shiver. He’d taken so much effort to make sure that not even Morgana knew about this, and he’s pretty sure the cat just thinks that he scans any magazine where Yusuke happens to be featured, which is a perfectly normal thing for a supportive friend to do. He couldn't help it if all of the photos of the tall artist looked amazing and he couldn't choose and now he's got a full thick binder of them, but hey this just helps his friend, right?

Yeah, Akira just happened to be a rather supportive friend. All of this helps keep the artist fed and healthy, after all. The modelling agency would never have to worry about making Yusuke lose weight because of his eccentric eating and spending habits regardless of how much money he gains. Eighty percent of it still goes to art supplies in the end, but now the artist gets to have natto and spinach and sausage with his beansprouts. Ryuji’s also been texting about how grateful he was that he doesn’t need to spot Yusuke nearly as much anymore.

Yes, this collection is just a show of Akira’s dedication to the Feed Yusuke Foundation.

The teen’s rationalization came to an abrupt halt when he heard the sound of someone coming upstairs followed by, “Futaba, reporting for duty!” Akira panicked, trying to shove the pictures he was looking at back in the binder to shove aside, but the girl appeared before he could shove it under his bed or in a desk drawer. His hands froze.

“Ooh, that’s a big binder you’ve got over there. What’s in it?” Of course Futaba had to sound excited over this. She’s always excited about finding hidden information, which was great for when they had to dismantle the prime minister, but not so much here.

Three options came up in Akira’s head:

  * It’s none of your business
  * Just Summer Homework
  * Porn



“None of your business, just my summer porn.”

It seemed that Akira had sweated away all of the charm he built up over his time here.

“Summer porn?” Futaba furrowed her brows, “Oh, you mean like swimsuits? Beach flings? Maybe even tentacles?” Akira felt like he was starting to sweat more, if that was even possible, “You’ve got to show me what this summer porn is, is it a collection of kinks or do you just rotate by season?”

“What. Wait, no, no!” Akira stretched his arms to the opposite side to keep it away from Futaba’s grasp as she leaped at him, “Wh-why would you want to look at my porn for anyway, you’re a girl!”

Futaba chuckled the way she always does when thinking of a nefarious hacking plot, “Oh Akira, you’re so innocent. You see, I live on the internet, nothing can phase me!” She doubled her efforts in snatching the alluring binder.

 _That’s not something to be proud of!_ Akira tried to lean away from Futaba and swing the binder away from her, only for a large volume of posters and even an entire magazine to fall out. Futaba swooped to grab them before Akira could react. How did this girl develop such reflexes when all she does is code and watch anime?

“Wow this is… an odd choice of porn material,” Futaba said as she quickly scanned over the pictures of Yusuke, pausing at one where he’s shirtless and wearing leather jacket and pants, “Okay, maybe this one I can get. If I stretch it. A lot.”

There was heat rising in Akira’s face and it did not originate from the sun, “I-It’s not actually summer porn, or any kind of porn for that matter…”

“Still, this is quite a surprise,” He couldn’t tell if Futaba was disappointed or amused, “To think that you’d choose Inari as best boy. Then again, I guess he is marginally better than Ryuji if you only look at appearance and not, well, the rest of him. Still, with a binder that big, all you need to do is buy a body pillow of him and you’re at full husbando level!”

“Husband...o?” It wasn’t hard to tell what that meant, but it didn’t change the fact that it sounded so foreign and way too nerdy.

“Yep! It’s when your love for a fictional character transcends all societal norms!” She started to look over the magazine now, or rather flipping through the pages, barely looking at what’s inside, “But, since this is someone IRL, and someone you know well at that, it’d probably be better to cuddle up with the real thing rather than a body pillow, right?”

“It’s… not like that,” Akira grabbed the pictures back and started placing them back in the binder properly this time, which gave Futaba an opening to see much more of the collection, but he already knew he lost, “He’s a good friend of mine and I’m just supporting him by buying his stuff.”

“You don’t do that with Ann, she’s been at this way longer than Inari.”

“Ann doesn’t need to be reminded to eat while in the middle of a project. She doesn’t need to worry about an empty fridge, either.”

“I dunno, some of these photos are preeetty revealing…” She pointed at some more shirtless photos.

“I can’t decide what kind of shoots Yusuke ends up in, or that he’s a little too casual about nudity.”

Futaba pouted, “We could go back and forth with this rationalization debate, but it’s obvious you’re in denial. Not even Makoto does this with Ann, and we both know they’re almost too kissy kissy as a couple. Face it, for… whatever reason, you’re completely head over heels for this fox boy and his man cleavage.”

“You don’t have to word it like that…” Akira was so glad that Morgana happened to be taking a walk right now, “And it’s not me being head over heels, but…”

“Mhm?” Futaba’s smirk was too smug for her own good.

“...Never mind.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” her smirk grew bigger, if that’s even possible, “Y’know, it’s not actually that big of a surprise for me. You left a magazine cover under the bed when you moved out. Considering I’ve been using this place as my retro gaming station while you were gone, of course I found it.”

Getting more flustered would only give Futaba more power, “So what are you going to do about this? Tell everyone about my shamefully large collection?” He could hear Ryuji and Morgana’s laughter already.

“And get you a joke ending? Of course not!” Futaba pouted, almost offended, “You’ve helped me more than enough times, so now it’s time for me to help you get the good ending, maybe even the true ending!”

Akira wondered if there will be anything “good” about what was going to happen.


	2. Futaba Pulls the Weakest Move

Futaba was sorely disappointed when she first realized she had to attend Kosei High School after the Phantom Thieves officially disbanded. First of all, the fact that she had to go to school in the first place, when she already knows far more than whatever school, elite or otherwise, can teach her, and even subjects she was less interested in like history weren’t that hard because of her near-perfect memory, made attending school seem pointless. She tried to convince Sojiro that it’d be better worth her time to keep working on her own projects like she always does, but he basically told her it was less about education and more about social skills, which she couldn’t really argue against.

What was more disappointing was that Futaba couldn’t even get into Shujin, even though Kosei was technically a school with a higher reputation. With the barrage of unwelcome news the school got last year, it wasn’t that surprising that the newly installed principal of Shujin did not want to accept any “abnormal cases” like Futaba, being a genius shut-in hacker, that might potentially lead to more trouble for the school. Kosei also had a slightly late schedule, so she still had one more week of classes even though Akira was already back to visit and Ryuji and Ann are having fun right now. But most importantly, the only person she knew coming in was Inari.

After actually starting to attend the school, however, Futaba found that she didn’t have to worry so much about the Inari aspect, considering he’s basically cooped up in the art studio half of the time and rarely even saw him because they were in different years. It was actually a little disappointing to not get to annoy the artist during free times or in school events as much as she expected, but she never really went out of her way to find him.

But today, today Futaba has a mission to fulfill. Securely keeping the desk calendar folded and inside her bag, the redhead made a quick escape from the classroom as soon as the final bell rang and hastily walked her way to the art studio where, what a surprise, Yusuke was busy painting. How does he keep his bangs in perfect order when he had that much paint smeared on his cheek? This boy was the one mystery that Futaba had no intention of decrypting.

“Hey, Inari!”

Everybody in the studio turned their head except for Yusuke, who had his hand hovered next to the canvas, apparently deliberating over a single brush stroke.

Futaba pouted and stomped all the way over to his place in the room, glaring intently. Still no response. Damn, he was almost as bad as her when it comes to being stupid focused.

“Hey, listen!” Futaba prodded the artist’s shoulder. That didn’t work so she repeated it again in her best Navi voice. Unfortunately, she was no voice actor, so it just sounded really squeaky and annoying, but it finally got the boy’s attention.

“...What are you doing here?” Yusuke’s expression turned into a frown. Not a serious frown, but rather disappointed.

“Believe it or not, I have a request for you,” Futaba pulled out the desk calendar, all featuring shots of him in season-appropriate clothing, “A friend of mine is actually a big fan of your modelling stuff, believe it or not, so I need you to autograph this.”

“...You have friends?”

The fact that there was not a milligram of sarcasm in Yusuke’s question made Futaba want to punch him in the dick. She then had to remind herself that she came here for the express purpose of making sure Akira gets the D, and he probably doesn’t want damaged goods.

“More than you. Now are you gonna sign it or not?” She nudged the calendar against Yusuke’s arm.

“But I don’t have a pen.”

“You’re saying that you’re in an art studio and you don’t have a pen? That’s like going in an RPG without a weapon!” Futaba sighed. The things she has to put up with for their leader, “Just, sign it with your paintbrush or whatever, it’ll probably look more authentic considering it’s you.”

“Hm, that would add a flair of individuality in the autograph. Very well,” Yusuke gently put down the current brush he was using and switched to one with a slightly thicker stroke, dipping it just right on the black paint. Futaba handed the calendar over, “Who should I write it out to?”

“A-ah, uh… They don’t want their name on it actually,” Futaba fumbled for a moment, “Don’t wanna take up too much space in the actual photo, y'know.” She said that a bit too fast to sound innocuous, but luckily Inari was not the most keen with people.

“I see.” Yusuke didn’t ask any further and carefully painted his name on the January photo, featuring himself in a trenchcoat and scarf in the middle of a snowy forest path. He put much more care into the strokes than any real celebrity, probably because he didn’t really get to sign autographs, Futaba thought. By the time he finished, it looked more like traditional calligraphy that was ill-fitted for the modern, glossy paper of the calendar, “Make sure to be careful with it, it should take two hours at the very most to dry.”

“Great thanks- wait, two whole hours?” This ruined her plans to scurry on back home and catch her favorite Overwatch streamer, and she’d just gotten new ramen flavors too! “I can’t believe Inari has trapped me in this prison for two hours.”

“Did you expect anything else? Oil paints do take the longest time to dry, after all. Watercolor wouldn’t have worked on a paper like that either way, and acrylic would appear cheap.”

“Just so you know, I didn’t pay attention to any of that,” Futaba held the calendar with both hands, “Thanks for the prison sentence, Inari.” She supposed she could watch some of the livestream through her phone in the library while the autograph dried. But man, this is such a downgrade from watching it at home or in Leblanc with Akira (whether he likes it or not.)

 

* * *

 

“You better get me a figure for this after all of this is over,” Futaba huffed, handing the desk calendar to a confused Akira, “And I mean one of those high-grade ones that are over ten grand yen, not something you can win in the arcade!”

“You really didn’t need to do this, you know. I’ll basically get to see him everyday this month once his classes are over.”

“Yeah and end up getting no romantic progress? No way, I’m making sure you get a good end no matter what!” Futaba pouted, insulted by Akira’s lack of gratefulness.

“Sorry. Look, I appreciate it, but you really don’t need to do this,” Akira scratched the back of his head, “I can figure this out by myself.”

“Nuh-uh, I’m not gonna watch a month of you acting normally with Yusuke and then ogling his pecs or whatever through those photos when you’re alone. You might be able to steal the hearts of criminals, but you can’t get anywhere near the heart of this artist, can you?”

Akira’s face flushed and he looked down at the floor, his eyes blocked out by the reflective aspect of his glasses. She’ll take that lack of response as a silent affirmation.

“Hey I didn’t miss half of my stream to see you down like this,” Futaba pouted, “Anyway, I invited Inari over and he should be here anytime soon, so you might wanna get some ice coffee prepared. Takes a bit more time than regular coffee, right?”

“You invited him here?”

“Yeah, just asked if he wanted to chill with you and me. Got a pretty quick response too, since he hasn’t had the chance to see you yet.”

Akira sighed and went downstairs to do just that, leaving the calendar on the chair. Futaba waited until he was completely out of sight before snatching the calendar and cackling to herself. Now where should she put this…?

Just as Futaba expected, it didn’t take long before Yusuke came in. Akira was in the middle of pouring the freshly brewed coffee into a pourer with ice when he heard the door knock. The sudden noise almost made him spill the hot coffee on himself.

“Shit, shit,” Akira muttered to himself, placing the coffee down gently before hurrying over to the door.

“Akira, it’s nice to see you again.” Yusuke gave that small smile which always made Akira’s heart stop for a moment. He didn’t know how it was possible, but Yusuke looked even more attractive than before. The artist’s skin, although still very pale, now had a healthy glow to it since he wasn’t skipping meals half the time anymore. His hair looked shinier and almost thicker? That modelling agency must’ve hooked him up with some professional hair products.  Did he build up a bit of muscle too? It wasn’t as obvious in the winter and spring shoots but the thing short sleeved shirt made his deltoids and biceps a bit more obvious.

“...Akira, are you alright?” The barista snapped back into attention.

“Oh, s-sorry,” he stuttered, “It’s just been a long while since I’ve seen you.”

“Indeed, but I’m quite glad that you’re back.”

Beforehand, Akira was able to interact with Yusuke just fine even with his stupid levels of thirst for him since he was first and foremost a friend and teammate. The months of separation with only static photographs to look at, to so easily idolize, seemed to have corroded Akira’s ability to interact with him like a normal person, or as normal as one can act with this boy.

“A-Anyway, I’m almost done making iced coffee for the three of us. Futaba’s upstairs, I’ll, um,  join you guys later.” Why was he trying to temporarily push him away, that’s the exact opposite of what he wants.

“Very well. I look forward to your coffee as always.” Yusuke smiled and went ahead to the attic. Akira sighed, glad he still managed to seem like a decent human being, though it was a little cold of him to just send the other upstairs while he finished preparing the coffee. He hissed as he almost burned himself again trying to pour the rest of the coffee, but managed to get it all prepared with just enough ice to cool it down.

Akira blew on his hand and wondered what Futaba was possibly planning. To be honest, the signed calendar seemed pretty tame compared to all of the crazy things she thinks up of. Maybe she’s just trying to drop a hint first, which means Akira can go through the evening without a heart attack.

He brought a tray up with three glasses of iced coffee and so far everything seemed completely normal, too much so in fact. Futaba and Yusuke were being sassy with each other as always, now bickering about what video game to play.

“Can’t we just play Mario Party or something?” Akira sighed, laying down the tray in front of the two.

“Filthy casuals.” Futaba mumbled but reached for the cartridge anyway. Akira pulled up a chair and sat down with his drink, only to freeze when he saw the calendar in plain sight on top of the TV monitor, autograph and all. He eyed Futaba, who completely didn’t notice. He took a careful sideways glance at Yusuke, who seemed to be acting pretty normal. There’s no way Akira could bring it up now, Futaba might’ve already spilled everything out to this art boy and he might just be pretending to keep it cool. Or nothing could have been said at all, and speaking up about it would only cause a preventable situation.

So Akira said nothing and pretended they were playing video games, eating snacks, and chatting (but mostly bickering) like they always do. And so the entire evening passed like that, normal and mundane, until Yusuke looked at the time and realized he had to get going before he missed the last train.

“It was nice to see you again,” Yusuke said in front of the door, “I hope we get to spend more time together before you have to leave for school again.”

“Same here.” Akira replied, a lot more relaxed, a lot more like how he usually acted with all of his teammates. He waved silently as the artist left.

“Aw man,” He could hear Futaba’s whining from the far end of the bar, “Nothing happened. Literally nothing. I guess I have to do some research before my next move.”

“He didn’t mention anything before I came up?”

“Besides the remark about me really not having friends, no,” Futaba groaned, “He doesn’t fit any of the usual archetypes you see in dating sims so I just started off with something subtle but eugh, maybe we should just have you meet more guys, y’know?”

“Don’t say that.” Akira sighed.

Meanwhile, on the Kosei line, Yusuke sat on the half-empty seats of the subway train, staring intently at the ground. Any idiot could have seen that Futaba was lying about her having a friend who wanted an autograph, especially when she had it on display on top of the TV monitor so brazenly. Despite the fact that Akira was residing in Leblanc again, Futaba had used the room while he was gone and so anything around her retro gaming area had to be hers. There's no way that Akira would disrupt any of her goods. What Yusuke couldn’t figure out was the truth behind this, what purpose was there behind making a ruckus in the art studio just for an autograph.

Pressing his hands together as the train halted at one of the stops, Yusuke tried to reason about it from the very beginning. People asked for autographs of celebrities because they’re big fans. Futaba asked Yusuke for an autograph under the lie that it was for a friend. Tossing aside what the reason for the lie might be, this still meant that Futaba had actually gone out of her way to get an autograph from him, someone she could see fairly frequently if she wanted. He furrowed his brows at the impossible.

Was Futaba… a fan of his?

What does this even mean?


End file.
